Fourteen albums, two Grammy nominations, nearly a dozen major awards and more than four decades into a career like no other, Sonny Landreth is an artist who’s found a different way to play guitar and then some. Music journalists have called the singer/songwriter/bandleader/slide guitar virtuoso everything from “an innovator on the order of Eddie Van Halen” (All About Jazz) to “one of the finest guitarists America has ever produced” (Rock & Blues Muse), while artists including John Hiatt, Mark Knopfler, Bonnie Raitt and Eric Clapton –who’s famously said, “Sonny Landreth is probably the most underestimated musician on the planet, and also one of the most advanced” –consider him an invaluable colleague, collaborator and bonafide guitar hero.
For the Lafayette, LA native, it’s a journey of remarkable musicianship that began with his first guitar at age 12. By his 20’s he was sitting in with local Creole and Cajun musicians and would soon become the first white member of Clifton Chenier’s legendary Red Hot Louisiana Band. “Being raised in a community where music is such a huge part of the culture,” Landreth explains, “loving Robert Johnson and Duane Allman as much as Mozart, I just absorbed every one of those influences and somehow crystallized it into my own style.”
Through it all, Landreth has discovered his music being embraced by fans of blues, rock, jazz, zydeco, country, Americana, world music and more. “Not being pinned down to any one genre can be a blessing and a curse,” he laughs. “But I was always comfortable playing different styles because slide guitar can speak to any audience.” And as anyone who’s witnessed him as the opening performer for an unprecedented seven of Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festivals can attest, Landreth’s slide wizardry is a consistent highlight of the world’s most famous six-string summit.
For Landreth, the future is an open road with the top down and the radio turned up. He’s currently recording a new album and maintaining a busy touring schedule. But for a one-of-a-kind artist who continues to defy categorization, what keeps him going/growing as an ever innovative yet always down-to-earth performer? “I still believe that music can possess the same magic that we all felt when we were kids,” Landreth says. “You want it to feel personal and be inspiring. Whenever my music communicates or resonates with people, it’s a great affirmation.”
